Man arrested over alleged attempted abductions of schoolgirls in south London

 
Two of the incidents happened in Kennington Lane, police said (Picture: Google Streetview)
Robin de Peyer22 January 2015
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A man has been arrested after a spate of reports of alleged attempted abductions, police said.

Scotland Yard said a 24-year-old man was held on suspicion of attempted abduction after girls as young as 10 were allegedly targeted in south London.

Three separate incidents were reported in the past week within the Kennington area, according to detectives.

Chief Inspector Nick Collins said: “Officers from Lambeth are currently investigating the incidents and are still trying to determine whether the same man or men were involved in all three.

“Whilst we do not wish to cause alarm I would ask the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us."

In the first incident, on Thursday January 15, police said a 10-year-old girl was approached by a man in Sancroft Street at around 5pm.

Two men in a white car then allegedly approached an 11-year-old girl in Kennington Lane at around 7.20am on Tuesday/

And in a third incident, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly approached by a man in Kennington Lane at around 8.30am on Wednesday.

There are several schools in the area including Vauxhall Primary School and the Lilian Baylis Technology School.

Chief Inspector Collins added: “I understand that the community will be concerned about these recent incidents and I want to reassure parents and carers that we are treating this extremely seriously.

“As a precaution we have increased patrols in the area and are talking to local schools. I would also ask parents and carers to take the opportunity to remind their children how to stay safe and not to go with strangers.”

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